Back to square one

Hi Cat don’t worry chemo radiation is the gold standard for head and neck cancer. I had no surgery. Like many others. Time wise it won’t make a difference  I was 63 days from diagnosis to treatment starting many have been longer. Try not to stress 

let us know how yiu get on 

Hazel xx

Catmarel said:

i'm now wondering that with just having radiotherapy etc  it's going to take longer to get rid of the cancer and maybe give it time to spread else where, it's in my tongue and a gland in my neck.

Anyone else only had radiotherapy/chemo ?

Me. Though I skipped chemo

if you think about it treatment will be quicker than waiting to heal from surgery before starting chemoradiation. 
if your MDT decided that surgery wouldn’t achieve decent margins it makes sense to go straight to RT. 
Try not to worry. You’re on gold standard treatment 

Hi Cat. I have two friends who had SCC oropharyngeal tumours before me. In fact the three of us had them within a few years of each other. The first, my neighbour, couldn’t be operated on so he had chemoradiation and is doing really well and is clear of cancer nearly five years on. The second, an old friend, had surgery and radiotherapy and is clear and really well nearly four years on. Me, I had all three, The Full Monty so to speak, and am clear and feeling really well, apart from some minor neck discomfort, coming up to two years on. I won’t say try not to worry, (there, I’ve said it!), as outcomes whichever way they deal with it are overwhelmingly positive. 

Hi Dani

It's not that they wouldn't be able to get good margins, it's because they are worried i won't make it through such a big and long operation due to my lung history. Which i totally understand and respect. 

Ah sorry.
There’s always the risk that a long operation would be followed by chemoradiation anyway. So if the RT is going to fix it why take the risk. There are few people here who have got away with just surgery. 
Best of luck. Let us know how things go.